Two suspects of graffiti attack in Gyeongbok Palace were arrested

Officials from the Cultural Heritage Administration work to repair a fence damaged by spray graffiti at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Sept. 19. Kwon Do-hyun

The wall near the Yeongchumun Gate of Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul was covered with dark blue plastic tents and screen fences, and drills were rumbling inside the tents while white dust was scattering.

Restoration experts in white coveralls moved in and out of the tents with cleaning equipment in their both hands. On the day when a cold wave alert went into effect, graffiti removal work was in full swing around Gyeongbok Palace, where two graffiti attacks occurred over the last weekend.

The Cultural Heritage Administration has been working to restore the wall with 20 preservation and restoration experts since December 17. It is expected to take at least five more days to restore the wall. So far, the work has been carried out without any major disruptions, according to the agency.

The main restoration method is a physical one mobilizing lasers and hammers. First, the surface of the spray-stained stones is ground with a hammer and chisel, and the ink in the gap is removed with laser and blasting equipment. Blasting is a method of removing contaminants by spraying small stone dust. The laser was used for the side gate, which is made up of relatively small stones, and the blasting method for the main gate, which is made up of larger stones.

The key is the weather. If the temperature drops below zero, the water in sprayers will freeze and stop working. There is also a problem that the surface of the stones freezes, making it difficult to remove the ink. The restoration team borrowed two laser equipment and a blasting machine from overseas and is speeding up the work process.

Chung So-young, head of the Department of Artifact Science at the National Palace Museum, said, "Chemical cleaning has been carried out mainly with physical methods since the first day of restoration because of cold weather." She added, "We are trying to finish the removal work using equipment before Thursday, when extreme cold weather is expected, but I’m not sure it can be done as planned. We need to wait and see.”

She also explained, "It is difficult to say whether it will be completely restored or not because there are many variables, such as how much the spray has permeated. We are also considering matching the color of the restored part with the other parts after removing the spray.

All three people who committed the "graffiti attacks" against the Gyeongbok Palace were arrested. The Jongno Police Station in Seoul said that it arrested a man and a woman at their residence. The police said, "We arrested a man at his residence in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, at around 7:08 p.m. on the 16th who are suspected to commit the graffiti attack at three places, including Yeongchumun in Gyeongbok Palace, which took place at around 1:42 a.m. on the 16th," adding, "We also arrested a female suspect nearby at around 7:25 p.m."

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.